Where I can tell stories, relate experiences and pass along tips discovered while doing research on my family; through volunteer activities, including as an Online Parish Clerk; and from projects completed as a genealogical consultant.

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

When I went looking for my ancestors in Scotland, I ran into
a number of new and interesting experiences.﻿﻿

From other family members, I knew that my 2nd
great-grandfather, Robert Anderson, had been born in Scotland and died in North
Dakota, U.S.A. The primary information for his birth date comes from his death
certificate which states he was born on January 6, 1832 in Scotland. On that
document, his parents were recorded Gilbert Anderson and Margaret Maitland,
both of Scotland.

1912 Death Certificate for Robert Anderson, born in Scotland January 6, 1832

Robert’s life was also recorded in a book titled, Compendium
of History & Biography of North Dakota, published in 1900, in which
was stated the same information as to his birth date, country of birth and
parents’ names. In that piece his birth place was given as Glasgow. Whether that is true or not cannot yet be demonstrated as no birth or baptism record has yet been found.﻿﻿

Robert and his family had moved to the US around 1880. The
biography also summarized the migration history of the family. Gilbert and
Margaret first came to Ontario, Canada, around 1832. They farmed first in
Lanark County and later in Huron County, until their deaths. Gilbert was a
weaver in Scotland before he immigrated and plied that trade to some extent in
Canada as well. His occupation was important in the search for his family in
Scotland. They had six children before they left Scotland and six after they
settled in Canada. That helped narrow down the time of their immigration.

There are a number of censuses that show the families of
both Gilbert and Robert, in both Canada and the US, between 1842 and 1910; so
it has been relatively easy to find them on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Well, sometimes! Not all of the records are preserved and some are not yet
transcribed. A researcher in Lanark County found Gilbert Anderson, as head of
the household, on the 1842 census, in Lanark Township. Nine people were in the
household of which six had been born in Scotland and three in Canada. That fit
the family very well. We even got a location for the farm. Gilbert was also
identified on an extract from the 1850 Canada census, then living in Stanley
Township, in Huron County. He died in Huron County, Ontario and his death
record indicates he was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland. So I had one line of
evidence as to the origin of the family.

1871 Ontario death record - Gilbert Anderson
showing he was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland

It was not so easy to identify the family in Scottish records,
though. Tracing people from the Old to the New World always presents
challenges. Not everyone can be found on a passenger manifest, particularly for
those who came to Canada prior to the mid-1800s. And often, when they are
listed, their names are spelled wrong, adding to the uncertainty!

Gilbert and Margaret were obviously here in 1834 when their
daughter, Grace, was born. With Robert’s birth place given as Scotland, their
emigration is narrowed down to 1832-33. The obituary of John Anderson, one of
Gilbert’s sons, records that he arrived in Canada “when he was but 3 years of
age” which would make the year 1832. This was the same year that Robert was
born. The obituary also stated that John was born in “Kirktulloch,
Dumbartonshire, Scotland” which we interpreted was actually Kirkintilloch in
Dunbartonshire. Close enough!

Portion of obituary for John Anderson,
published in Huron Expository January 24, 1902

﻿

I looked at the old IGI listings for the Anderson family as
well. I got several names off the old list. It is not quite the same any more
but you can still search IGI on FamilySearch.
A search for children of Gilbert Anderson and Margaret Maitland brings up 23
hits. Many are duplicate entries submitted by different individuals. And few
appear to be from extracts from actual registers.

I then decided to look for information on ScotlandsPeople, the prime
website for BMD, census and other historical records in Scotland, concentrating
on the Kirkintilloch area. Only one baptism showed up in Kirkintilloch birth
registers. I expanded my search to nearby parishes and found two more in
Campsie parish. I also found the marriage of Gilbert and Margaret in Campsie. But
no more children! It makes you wonder where the contributors to FamilySearch got
their information about births of the Anderson Children. I believe much of the
information comes from obituaries and publications and not from actual parish
registers; so there is reason to question the accuracy of the data.

Finding Gilbert’s birth record posed a specific problem. I
had his marriage to Margaret Maitland in 1820. The entry said they were both
from Campsie parish so that gave me a place to look for their births. Many
published family trees, and not a few family history write-ups show his parents
as John Anderson and Margaret Wilson but, again, there is no entry in any
parish record that shows these people. I spent quite a few credits looking for
a family with these people. Finally, in a broad search for any child with a
surname Anderson in Campsie parish, I found him. Except he was baptized as
Gabriel, not Gilbert! And his parents were James Anderson and Janet Finlay, not
John and Margaret! James Anderson was also a weaver, adding substance to the
idea that James was Gilbert’s father. It appears Gilbert/Gabriel learned his
trade from his father.

Once I had the parents’ names, I quickly found all of
Gilbert’s siblings. Many of these names matched people named in some of the
published stories so I believed I had the right person. Interestingly a sister,
Grace, was baptized as Grisil. I learned that not every English name translates
directly to old parish records.

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Miller-Watson Family Ca 1886

The photo in the background of this website is of the Miller-Watson Family, taken in Manhattan, Kansas, USA, around 1886. My great-grandfather, Isaac Mayfield Miller, is in the back row, second from the right. My 2nd great-grandmother, Hannah Tunstal (Mayfield) Miller-Watson, is seated front-centre. The other individuals are all of Hannah's other children from both of her marriages.

About Me

Wayne has pursued family history research for a number of decades, on
his own behalf and for others. He volunteers as an Online Parish Clerk,
handling four parishes in Devon, England. Wayne has also been active with a number of family history societies and is the past editor of two family history society journals. He is also an author of several articles
published in a number of different genealogical journals and has made
presentations at genealogical conferences. Following a long and successful
career as a geologist in the oil & gas industry, Wayne now pursues
genealogy as a hobby and a second line of work through his business, Family
History Facilitated.

Wayne is a native Calgarian and a descendant of many immigrants to
southern Alberta who originated in England, Scotland, Germany, the United
States and possibly other areas not yet determined. He actively explores many
family branches spread across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and
Europe.